Malaysian jobseeker asked by HR to justify her expected salary by listing her financial commitments
A Malaysian woman was left stunned after a job interview took a bizarre turn, with the Human Resource (HR) interviewer allegedly demanding she justify her expected salary by revealing her rent, car model, monthly commitments, and even a breakdown of her bills.
What she thought would be a normal interview turned into a “personal audit”, she said.
Source: 89Stocker on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
Interview turns into interrogation of personal finances
In a Threads post on 27 Nov, the woman recounted how the interview crossed the line when the HR manager began probing into her personal finances instead of her qualifications.
The day had already started poorly. She claimed the company left her waiting outside the interview room for nearly half an hour, and that her calls and messages before the interview went unanswered.
Things briefly looked up when she began introducing herself, and the interviewer seemed impressed by her experience and skills.
But that changed quickly. According to the woman, the interviewer later appeared disengaged and uninterested, even before questioning her salary expectations.
When she stated her expected pay — which she emphasised was not even the maximum range of the company’s budget for the position— the interviewer immediately asked her to justify the figure.
Source: Andrzej Rostek on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
Interviewer allegedly asks jobseeker to justify salary item by item
The jobseeker explained that she had significant financial commitments. But instead of acknowledging her experience, the interviewer reportedly asked her to list each expense with exact amounts.
She was asked:
- How much rent she paid,
- What car model she drove,
- How much her monthly commitments cost,
- And even for a breakdown of every bill.
The HR manager then began calculating her bills on the spot and told her the total was “not as high” as the salary she requested.
Source: charliepix on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
The woman — who previously worked in HR herself — said she was stunned.
She noted that when she interviewed candidates, she never interrogated them this way. If a salary was too high, she would simply say the company couldn’t meet it.
She stayed polite but was internally frustrated. In her view, the company should have reviewed her résumé properly before calling her in.
“If you don’t agree with my expected salary, don’t call me in,” she wrote.
If I don’t meet your budget, don’t waste my time. I paid for parking, petrol and toll just to be here!
Once the interview ended, she left immediately, not expecting to hear from them again.
Her post quickly resonated with other job seekers online, many of whom expressed astonishment at the interviewer’s conduct.
Also read: Applicant in M’sia turns down job offer because father disapproves of salary
Applicant in M’sia turns down job offer because father disapproves of salary
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Featured image adapted from charliepix and Andrzej Rostek on Canva.
